ARREST IN FORD HEIGHTS BURGLARY SPREE

Thursday, March 22, 2012
—Bond has been set at $10,000 for a Highland, Indiana man responsible for a string of burglaries in the Ford Heights area, Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced Thursday.

Jeffery Shurlow, of the 3100 block of 99th Place in Highland, Indiana, was arrested by the Cook County Sheriff’s Police on March 18th for purchasing crack cocaine.

During processing, detectives were alerted that Shurlow had an open burglary case against him dating back to last year. Upon questioning, he confessed in a written statement to being involved in a string of burglaries that occurred over the past two years at the Geneva Energy Plant, located on the 1700 block of Cottage Grove, in Ford Heights, IL. “This is an excellent example of how the arrest for one crime can lead to clearing additional cases,” said Sheriff Dart, “Often times, there is more than meets the eye when dealing with people who lead criminal lifestyles.”

On four separate occasions, Shurlow entered the Geneva Energy Plant after work hours and on all but one occasion stole stainless steel metal grates from the facility. He would then take the metal grates to two different scrap yards and turn them in for cash. One attempt last July was botched when an employee noticed him in the parking lot and Shurlow subsequently fled the scene, leaving behind the valuables he was attempting to steal. In total, Shurlow stole 1,485 pounds of the grates, at a value of more than $2,200.
At the time of his arrest on March 18th, Shurlow still had the proceeds in his truck from his most recent burglary of the plant on March 16th.

On March 20th Shurlow appeared in Felony Bond Court and was charged with three counts of burglary and one attempted burglary, all felonies. His next court date is scheduled for April 9, 2012 at Markham Courthouse.